Match Summary vs. UW-River Falls
Match Summary vs. Northwestern

RIVER FALLS, Wis. — If Saint Mary's University women's tennis coach Jeff Halberg was worried how his team would react following its 5-4 loss to Concordia last Saturday — a loss that snapped the Cardinals' season-high four-match winning streak — the Cardinals put his fears to rest Wednesday afternoon against UW-River Falls.

But they didn't make Wednesday's match any less nerve-wracking on their veteran coach.

Four of the seven singles matches between the Cardinals and the Falcons went the maximum three sets, while two of the three doubles matches were decided by 9-7 decisions.

Fortunately for the Cardinals — and coach Halberg's blood pressure — the ball bounced their way in those crucial matches, as SMU outlasted UW-River Falls 6-3 in a nonconference contest at the UW-River Falls Courts.

The Cardinals made it look a little bit easier — but not by much — in their second match of the day against Northwestern, sweeping the three doubles matches and surviving a pair of three-set singles matches en route to a 7-2 nonconference win.

“It was a good day of tennis for us,” said SMU coach Jeff Halberg, whose team moved to 8-8 overall with the two wins. “Both matches were hard-fought wins, with virtually every match going right down to the wire. Everyone played well all day, which was great to see.”

SMU got off to a 2-1 lead after the doubles vs. UW-River Falls, getting an 8-4 win from Rebecca Snyder (Eden Prairie, Minn.) and Brianna Placek (Greendale, Wis.) at No. 2 and a 9-7 triumph from Abby Cooper (La Crosse, Wis.) and Sara Clements (La Crosse, Wis.) at No. 3.

Snyder then added one of three, three-set singles victories for the Cardinals, rallying from a 4-6 first-set loss to beat the Falcons' Cassie Wood 4-6, 6-0, 10-5 at No. 2. Courtney Spartz (Western Springs, Ill.) followed suit at No. 3, also dropping the first set 4-6, before rallying with 6-1, 10-7 wins in the final two sets, while Andrea Allis (Wells, Minn.) lost her second straight at No. 6 — also by a 6-4 count — before outlasting UW-RF's Naomi Wolff 6-0, 4-6, 10-2. Bailey Edwards (Fond du Lac, Wis.) made it look a bit easier at No. 1 singles, as the Cardinal freshman breezed to a 6-1, 6-1 triumph.

Against Northwestern, the Cardinals swept all three doubles matches, while Edwards, Cooper, Brittney Nielsen (Apple Valley, Minn.) and Allis tallied singles wins, including a 6-1, 3-6, 10-7 triumph by Edwards at No. 1. Spartz and Troumbly weren't are fortunate as Edwards, as both rallied from first-set losses, only to fall in the third set — Spartz by a 6-4, 2-6, 10-5 count, and Troumbly by a 6-2, 0-6, 10-6 score.

“I was very pleased with our play all day,” Halberg said. “It was also nice to see the ladies get that record back to .500.”

The Cardinals return to action Saturday, traveling to Saint Benedict for a 2 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match.